Storage devices commonly implement data backup operations (e.g., backup, deduplication) using local and/or remote virtual library storage (VLS) for data recovery. Adding backup jobs places additional demand on the VLS product, and can unacceptably degrade performance and/or exceed device hardware limits. Factors that may impact performance include the additional storage capacity that will be needed for the backup job (including retained versions and working space), and available storage capacity during peak usage.
However, determining the amount of available storage capacity is complicated when using a deduplication-enabled VLS product with post processing. The deduplication process may use additional storage capacity for the post-processing, and also compress data at various times, and so the available storage capacity is variable over time. Accordingly, it can be difficult for a user to determine whether a backup job can be added to the VLS product without exceeding device hardware limits and/or unacceptably degrading performance.